How much is one moment of unnecessary roughness truly worth in a tight divisional matchup? As the end approached during the Week 16 game between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, plays became intense. One hit in the fourth quarter could cost a safety more than just the 15 yards his team lost on the field.

While Rams tight end Terrence Ferguson caught the aerial pass and was running forward, Ty Okada came from his right and took him down to the ground. However, the visual showed him using brute force, which the referees flagged for unnecessary roughness. The league monitoring team could also impose a fine.

Okada was dealing with a shoulder injury, but replaced the safety Coby Bryant in the fourth quarter, who exited with a right knee injury. During his tackle of the tight end, it appeared that he hit him with his helmet. But Ferguson didn’t get injured.

While that defensive penalty put the Seahawks in a tough spot, their offense had record-breaking players of their own, trying to overcome it. Matthew Stafford‘s teammate and receiver, Puka Nacua, had 12 receptions for 225 receiving yards with two touchdowns. He became the first receiver since 1995 to play three consecutive games with 165+ receiving yards. He has 573 receiving yards in the last three games.

The dominance was present in the Seahawks’ game as well. Around the 8-minute mark in the fourth quarter, Rams punter Ethan Evans punted the ball for 43 yards. But return specialist Rashid Shaheed caught the ball and ran for 58 yards to score a touchdown. He also became the first Seahawks player to return a kickoff and punt for a TD in the same season since 2015.

Overall, the game showed the divisional rivalry at its peak. It went into overtime, where the Hawks won with a 2-point conversion.

Matthew Stafford & co. lose in overtime

The Rams were on a roll for the first three quarters of the game. Matthew Stafford also started the fourth quarter with a touchdown, leading 30-14 with 10 minutes remaining. Shaheed started the comeback, followed by another touchdown by tight end AJ Barner. The Hawks had also scored a two-point conversion on Shaheed’s touchdown, but the Rams were committed to stopping the equalizer points.

Quarterback Sam Darnold hurriedly fired the ball to the running back Zach Charbonnet. The ball hit linebacker Jared Verse’s helmet and landed straight in the end zone, where Charbonnet recovered it with no contest. The referees later called it a failed attempt. But they reviewed it and called it a backward pass and a successful recovery by the scoring team, granting two points as both teams stood at 30 each.

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While this one was definitely controversial, the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime was a masterclass by the Hawks.

Tight end Eric Saubert was standing at the extreme left of the offensive line. As Darnold got the snap, Verse first charged at the tight end, but he shook him off and ran into the end zone. The signal caller darted the ball straight to the free Saubert, who caught it as the entire stadium erupted in the overtime win.

With the season end coming up, expect teams to make such explosive plays!